Customer Reviews

Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM Super Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After noting the captions of exceptional photographs that appeared in nature and photography magazines were often shot with this lens, I began to read the reviews. Based on the uniformly excellent reviews, I bought this lens and spent two weeks this January in the Florida Everglades taking pictures of birds. Based upon my experience with the lens, I would rate this as second in sharpness and contrast only to the 300 mm f2.8 Canon L series lens. The lens is handholdable for short periods to shoot birds in flight, but it is best suited for use on a solid tripod with a Wimberley tripod head to allow tracking of birds in flight.

Jerry Reed
Giclée Maker
http://www.newlightimages.com/

I needed more reach than 400mm gave on my EOS 1D, so I purchased Canon's 500mm f/4L IS three years ago. It's incredibly sharp out to the corners at f/4. With bird and mammal portraits, you see every feather, every hair.

The lens is light enough to use on a Wimberley Sidekick. Some claim to be able to handhold it, but I think its eight-plus pound weight is a bit much for that. I carry mine in a long lens case with backpack harness from Kinesis Gear.

This lens' image stabilization works very well. I've used it on a tripod with one-second shutter speeds and good telephoto technique, and gotten sharp, publishable images.

With an EOS 1D or 1Ds, lens and camera are rain-proof in mild storms.

I also got mine through Adorama, and had no problem with delivery or post-sale advertising.

If you buy one expensive long lens for wildlife, choose this one.

I only got deep into bird and wildlife last summer when I purchased Canon's EF 400mm f/5.6L. That's a fine lens and I thought that the image quality was very good, but I longed for more "reach" and a faster aperture that would autofocus with my 1.4 teleconverter.

A professional photographer freind let me handle his EF 600mm f/4L and his EF 500mm f/4.5L (both are older models) and the added length and weight of the 600mm focused me totally on the 500mm for my bag. My friend is using his 600mm on a full-frame camera while I'm using my 500mm on a 1.6 crop-sensor Canon 7D. On that sensor the 500mm gives a field of view equivalent to 800mm (1.6X500). When I add my 1.4TC II the equivalent focal length is 1,120mm!!! That's amazing power for a lens that will fit in my LowPro backback.

For stunning pictures at all shutter speeds and shooting over an extended periods of time, a stout tripod and gimbal is suggested. I'm using the eight-ply, carbon fiber Induro C414 tripod with an Arca-Swiss Z1 ballhead and the Wimberley Sidekick half-gimbal. This setup is extremely stable and you can turn off the lens' IS. I leave it in mode 2 for panning. That said, this lens yields very sharp images when handheld. The IS is truly effective. To see it, just focus on something stationary without pushing the shutter button to activate the IS. You'll see the image moving and shaking, then push the shutter button and the subject almost "locks" into place, as if it's on the tripod. Yes, there's still small movement, but at 1/1000th to 1/2000th shutter speeds typical in bird photography, everything is sharp. (Remember the old rule, for every 100mm of focal length you need 1/100th second of shutter speed, so the minimum with this lens would be 1/500th, even when shooting something that's not moving. (Factor in a crop-sensor that might be 1/800th second). At those speeds the IS gives very clear results.

The auto focuse of this lens is really fast and mostly "snaps" instantly into focus. You DO need to be aware of the subject distance and move the switch for a close subject and remember to move it back for a distant subject. Be aware of your camera's AF mode. For instance, for birds in flight I use 9 sensors in a square box in the middle of the sensor. For birds in the bush, I use single point in order to look past twigs and such. For things like a passing boat or car it hardly matters which mode your camera is in. When used with my 1.4TC II, the AF snaps seemingly just as quickly.

My Flickr site is [...] Cut and paste if you want to see examples, Tagged "EF 500mm f/4L IS"

I see much superior image quality to my EF 400mm f/5.6L. A big part of this is the effective focal length over 1,000mm when used on a crop-sensor camera and with the 1.4TC, which gives you a frame-filling subject. I still need to crop many of my bird images, but it's mainly for compositional values. This lens is large and does attract a crow (probably the biggest negative) but it gets the job done.

This is a magnificant lens! I'm still learning this beast, but I certainly don't regret buying it. With the 2X teleconverter on a sturdy tripod, it gives me an effective focal lengh of 1300mm (500 X 2 X 1.3 - conversion factor for the Canon 1D Mk III) - you'd have even more focal length with a camera with a larger conversion factor - 1.6 for cameras like the 30D, but in most instances that would be too much FL. With out the 2X TC, the AF is lightning fast, and even with it it's pretty fast. You only get the use of the center sensor with the 2X, so if you're working small subjects like humming birds, it works well to focus on the eye, lock focus and recompose. With a little practice, this lens will give you amazing sharpness. If you're a serious bird photographer, this will be your favorite super telephoto. It's lighter and cheaper than the 600 f/4 and you're only giving up 100mm. I've only been using this lens for a week, and I absolutely love it!

Length:: 2:05 Mins

I wanted to show this lens being unboxed. The video will show the contents of this lens package, plus a comparison shot between this lens and the Canon 300mm f/4L IS.

OVERALL PERFORMANCE: This is an awesome lens, expensive but worth every penny. I've done handheld shots at 1/100 secs and were able to produce very sharp keepers, wide open. The image stabilization is the best of Canon's lens line up. I've taken shots in wildlife sanctuaries under the heat of the sun and wet weather -- this lens continues on. I've uploaded some of the images on the customer gallery.

PICTURE QUALITY: One of the sharpest lenses I've used, especially with your subject distance is within 10 meters. I often do bird photography and you can see the veins of these birds!

EASE OF USE: If you have used L class lenses before that have image stabilization, this is no problem. Otherwise, you'll want to learn about the differences between the two modes.

-Don Sausa Studios

Deciding between this lens and the 600/4L IS was indeed a chore - but I convinced myself that if I were to buy the 600/4, I would not even bother taking it on hikes due to the extreme weight. I would also need to upgrade my tripod to a heavy Gitzo GT3541LS Series 3 Long 6X Carbon Fiber 4-Section Systematic Tripod with G-Lock - Replaces GT3540LS, and get a full proper Wimberly II Gimbal Head.

(I currently use a Gitzo GT2542L Series 2 6X Carbon Fiber 4-Section Tripod with G-Lock - Replaces GT2541L, and a Jobu Design BWG-LW2 Black Widow Lightweight MK-II Gimbal Head for 200 f/2.8, 300 f/2.8, 70-200 f/2.8 Lenses for my gimbal needs)

Though if I had the money, i'de go for the 800/5.6L IS instead due to the extreme reach on a FF body, and no longer the need to use a crop body (you lose the outer "bokeh" and vignetting).

==============
1-month update
==============

After being able to use it for 1 month now, it simply confirms that the 500mm f/4L IS was the right choice over the 600mm f/4L IS. Though often I wish I didn't have to use extenders on my 1Ds III, I quite like the fact that I can hand-hold this lens all day for nature photography.

One day soon i'll get the 800mm f/5.6L IS, but until then the 500mm f/4L IS is an excellent lens for the price you pay.

I ordered this lens via Amazon from Calumet and it arrived ahead of schedule and was perfectly wrapped. I have not had a chance yet to shoot in the field but "tested" the lens in the backyard. Image quality is what I expected after having read a lot of reviews here and elsewhere.
For those considering this lens, however, it appears worth mentioning you be aware of the consequences: You will most probably need another tripod since this lens is heavy. Only high quality heavy duty tripods will do it. Also, like me, you may not have owned a premier class ballhead or gimbal head. This will cost you a lot. Carefully look if you can mount a 500mm f4 on either. Some manufactures explicitly recommend not to use with this lens although the reported weight load would allow to do so. You will need to research a lot. Further, you need another backpack! Honestly, there is not too much to chose from. The Tamrac 5589 Expedition 9x Backpack for DSLR Camera, Flash with Accessories, Black is a good option but some airlines will not accept its size for cabin luggage.
In conclusion, this lens is a major upgrade in your telephoto portfolio but may require an upgrade of your overall gear. Certainly well known to Pros but a learning process for enthusiasts like me.

This lens is simply to die for. Yes, it's big, heavy and expensive, but it does the job incredibly well. If you've never shot with a super-tele the heft and reach take some getting used to at first but once you are comfortable with it be prepared for stunning images.
Hand holding isn't exactly a lot of fun. It's possible if you're not a 97lb. weakling, but not the best way to get quality shots. For sports shooters a monopod is almost manditory, and if you're a bird or nature photographer a good tripod at bare minumum and even a gimbal head are wise investments.

Buy it, use it, love it.

I purchased this lense as an upgrade from the 100-400mm zoom lense I had been using for bird photography. I now use the 500mm lense in combination with a 1.4x extender for most of my shots (with a 7D camera). Autofocus works great, even with the extender, and the improvement in picture quality over the zoom lense is obvious and very satisfying. It is a big lense, but I am getting used to tracking birds using a monopod. I recommend the lense without hesitation.

I debated between the Canon 500mm and 600mm and, finally, decided to go with the 500mm as it actually can be hand held for short periods of time if you are fairly strong and athletic. Long story short... this lens is about as good as it gets for wildlife photography. Amazing image quality, even with a 1.4 converter. I have recently made the jump from Canon back to Nikon primarily because of Canon's inconsistent flash metering (are you listening Canon??)... but the 500mm stays in my bag. Even though I'm switching over to Nikon gear for most of my portrait / event / landscape work, I will keep one Canon body just to shoot with the 500mm f/4.0... it's that good -even though it's a bit of hassle working with two different camera systems.